Republicans Sen. John Cornyn and Republican Rep. Sam Johnson are leading a joint effort trying to give military members who are hospitalized from combat injury the same tax protections as hospitalized civilians.

Sen. John Cornyn (AP photo)

Currently, the IRS has more time to collect from hospitalized military members who have served in combat than from hospitalized civilians. Cornyn and Johnson’s bill, the Wounded Warrior Tax Equity Act of 2011, aims to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to close this unequal gap.

“After sacrificing so much in defense of our nation’s freedom, the least we can do for our men and women in uniform is guarantee a level playing field when dealing with the federal government,” Cornyn, member of the Senate Finance Committee which has jurisdiction over the IRS, said. “Our bill will help ensure they receive equitable treatment from the IRS.”

The measure was rolled out this month to coincide with May’s Military Appreciation Month. Cornyn’s version of the bill, S. 993, was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, on which he serves.

Johnson said the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend freedom should not “be treated worse than ordinary Americans when it comes to their taxes.”

Rep. Sam Johnson (official photo)

“Our bill rights an outrageous wrong. This is about fairness for our wounded warriors when it comes to the IRS,” Johnson, who serves parts of Dallas and Collin counties, said.

Johnson, a 29-year Air Force veteran and former prisoner of war in Vietnam, serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. His version of the bill, H.R.1871, was referred to that committee.

The National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent organization within the IRS that recommends changes to prevent taxpayer problems, made a suggestion to amend a section of the IRC code, which would eliminate the suspension of the collection statute expiration date for injured military members.

“The IRS has administrative discretion to suspend collection activity against civilians during periods of hospitalization but is not required to suspend the CSED for these taxpayers,” the recommendation, listed as No. 8 on the list, says. “As a result, U.S. military personnel may be placed at a disadvantage as compared with civilians, because civilians may receive the benefit of deferred collection action without having to agree to an extension of the CSED beyond 10 years, while the CSED is statutorily extended beyond ten years for military personnel.”